Vintage Knits: 30 Exquisite Vintage-Inspired Patterns for Cardigans, Twin Sets, Crewnecks and More

This book is awesome, easily my favorite knitting book! I’m a big collector of vintage patterns so to have a compilation of them in a book for this price is great. There’s tons of patterns worth making in this book, I really like the camisoles and cardigans. I’ve made the lace camisole and the cable mittens so far and both turned out great! Sometimes I find that knitting books only have clothes made to fit a certain larger or older figure, which fortunately/unfortunately this book isn’t like. The largest size available isn’t very large unfortunately, but as someone smaller whose used to the size and shape of written patterns being too big and wide, it’s refreshing.

I'm starting to hear people say how tired they are of scarves and ponchos and they'd like to move on to something new. Next, they say how expensive it is- both $ and time-wise to buy yarn for a sweater if they're only going to want to wear it for a couple of years and then it will be out of style. I want to pull my hair out! I keep telling people, well then don't choose a pattern for a trendy style. If you're going to spend the $ on sweater yarn and put all that work into it, make it a CLASSIC. Make it something you will wear for years like a charming cardigan or a fair isle- never goes out of style. That's where this book comes in. Lovely designs that stand the test of time. You won't want to bury any of these in a drawer in a couple of years. Yes, the sizing is on the smaller size, so if you are larger than a size 8-10, you may have trouble with even the largest pattern sizes. That is a drawback to this one, but I still love it and it's just a gorgeous book. A huge improvement on the dumpy, trendy, otherwise unwearable patterns that all the yarn companies are putting out.

Yes, it is true that the largest sized pattern is a 36" bust BUT, this book is truly worth all the hassle it would take to figure out how to resize the patterns to fit your measurments. If you read the book it does explain this flaw; in the 40's and 50's "the emphasis in fashion was on a tiny waist. It was not unusual for women to have a wasit of 21 inches or smaller." It further explains the sizing saying, "The sizes for the garments in this book are mainly small, medium and large, i.e. 32in, 34in, and 36in chest measurement. As the inspiration for these designs originates from 1940's and 1950's knitting patterns, many of the garments are intentionally quite close fitting." These are just absolutely beautiful projects and like I said earlier worth the extra time you may have to take. I would recommend this book to everyone who has an eye for fashion. I myself have a 38" bust size but I am going to learn how to resize these patterns so that I can make the garments fit me.

I think this book is great. The designs are really pretty and you can easily alter measurements to fit larger chest, waist, and shoulder sizes, substitute colors for softer "vintage" looks, etc. However, I would agree the book may not please a vintage purist, but it is not advertised as being reproductions, but rather, "inspired". It's good if you like a vintage feel, but without the odd look that wearing actual vintage pieces can result in. This book is NOT for costumers, that's for sure! The designs to run young in presentation, but as mentioned can be easily done in different colorways to accomodate a more subtle expression.

I just received my copy of this and I am in love. There are at least 10 patterns in here I must make for myself. If you love vintage or classic knit styles, this book is a must have. The pictures are beautiful and the instructions seem to be clearly written. This is also a great book for younger knitters, the patterns are classic, but very stylish and fun. There are several cute lacy tops and camisoles, and a great basic ribbed cardie. I can't wait to get started knitting one of these! I wish there were more books out there like this one.